Kinda hard to answer, obviously as a kid i'd have found the whole thing magical, interacting with a thing and making stuff happen on a screen, but now i'm nearly 30 and spend a lot more time learning and reading about games than actually playing them.I still play a lot don't get me wrong, but nothing is magical anymore, i play new games now primarily to see the results of a lot of people's hard work, i want to appreciate all the animations, sound effects, music, frame rate, optimization etc...

I’ve been playing games since before I can remember...probably since some model Magnavox Odyssey.

It’s kinda like asking why do you watch TV. It’s a weird thing to answer.

I guess the fun factor is key. Seeing cool worlds that folks created and the stories within is great, too. It’s also morphed into something I can do at home that leaves me available for my wife and kids. It’s a good way to bullshit with friends without buying a bunch of beer, too.

I generally enjoy video games, and that enjoyment has morphed and evolved over the years along with my tastes. For the latter half of my life though, the most constant reason I game is to not give it up from the pressures of societal norms. It's a much easier thing these days, but I still get those awkward feelings of childishness and irresponsibility for enjoying what used to be just a kid-centric hobby.

When I was younger it was because they were stimulating aesthetically and... I dunno what word to use to refer to it just being fun. Eventually diving into worlds and stories became a thing for me (Half-Life, Deus Ex, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy 7, and so on from thereabouts), and then it was about those four things all together, with the kinds of experiences they'd provide expanding as the offerings of the medium grew more varied.

Occasionally it would definitely be for escapism or stress relief, but now more than ever I find myself looking to video games not so I could experience a game for its own sake, but *largely* in part so I can just get away from everything else for a bit. Whether it's playing through a story game like Spider-Man or half-paying attention to the story in Doom (2016) as I blast my own music and have fun running around killing demons (or playing Destiny 2 in a similar way; I feel like I gotta give Destiny 2 a shout out given the amount of time I've spent on the PC version that they gave out for free, after I was sure I was done with that game--just today I was thinking about picking up the DLC so I could use the game (particularly the strikes) specifically as a de-stresser).

So!

Visually stimulating

Fun to play

Exploring worlds

Engaging with stories (even if only through segmented gameplay, i.e. games where the divide between gameplay and narrative are strict)

For a variety of reasons, from fun way to spend my time off to just experiencing a story or game on it's own merits for the sake of appreciating the craft of it. Though I have realized in later years that one of the reasons is probably also some of them giving me a firm grasp of something that feeds me a sense of accomplishment through finishing tasks in a way I sometimes struggle with in my personal life. And they are also a really good tool to let me decompress and recharge my batteries by spending some time alone in a different world free of my life's duties and responsibilities.

I am extremely unwilling to endure bad writing in TV so I dont watch too much of it, and yet dont enjoy crowds or long drives to see friends, so into the digital world I go, to either explore and embrace a world (RDR2) to challenge myself (Dark Souls 3) or to just vibe out and have fun (Splatoon 2)

Been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I find there are two main reasons I really get into/enjoy games:

-Fast, precise execution of movement/combat. I’m not a fighting game guy, but I am a longtime (casual) Smash player. Think Super Meat Boy, Hollow Knight, Bastion. Games with a relatively high skill ceiling that just “feel good” when you nail it.

-Exploring and discovering a world/worlds. Think Metroid Prime, Skyrim, Breath of the Wild, and (again) Hollow Knight. Games that create a feeling of grandeur or mystery, like everything you come across is somehow important for you to find.

TLDR I like fast (but not too technical) execution and finding cool shit in a big world.

I think I like that games provide a safe place for me to engage in stress-free challenge. Other types of challenge in life (like sports/exercise, school, work) are kind of bound up with my general feelings about myself, so that I feel pretty bad if I fail. Whereas in a game, if I fail, it doesn't matter - but I still get some sense of accomplishment when I succeed.

Also, I have trouble concentrating on one thing at a time, and games give a pleasant way to do two things simultaneously (playing a game while watching a video or listening to a podcast).

Sometimes I ask myself that question. Especially since so many of the most beloved games and most beloved aspects of games I have no interest in. And yet feel a social pressure to enjoy games that are antithetical to anything I enjoy.

But for games I actually enjoy playing. I'm just trying to escape reality. Reality is horrible, and video games offer me things I will never experience in real life, like close friendship, romance, and judgement free experiences of other cultures.

I guess the other point or "enjoyment" of playing games is showing people I have "good taste" by giving in to peer pressure and playing games I'm supposed to be playing.

Games have a very special place in my life. Not only have I been playing them since I was very young, I met my husband because of a game. I was the community manager for the title and he was interested in beta testing for it. He had messaged me to regain lost access to the game, and then we started talking about other things. When we became a couple, the boss was ecstatic, he totally took credit for us meeting because of his game. XD

I guess it's because it demands my attention more than movies or music. I'm an active participant, feel like I have some agency and there's some genuine addictive qualities to them. I am a rat in a trap.

There's a ton of reasons. As a kid, it was mostly just entertainment. Then I started enjoying the stories told by games. Then I started looking for challenge and puzzles.

Nowadays, since I don't have as much time to play video games anymore, I mostly play video games to connect with faraway friends. Chatting daily is one thing. Actually getting to interact and do things together, although not physically, is such a fantastic feeling.

whenever i am playing video games it feels me so crazy and during that time i am reached in another world .I love call of duty game series, some rumors about COD next series is, CALL of duty ghost 2 . Hopefully its come soon.

I play some games for their stories. I love to fall in love with a world, the characters, and their lives. Yakuza 0, Kiwami, and Kiwami 2 got me invested in Kiryu and those around him like I haven't been since Tales of Symphonia. I love to see poetic justice, and love to feel my emotions dip and rise and soar as the highs and lows of the story hit them. I don't know if I'd call it escapism, but being reminded that I can feel emotions this intensely, even when they're sad, is a good feeling in the end.

I play mobile games (gacha games) and RPGs for the illusion of progress. Girls Frontline is what I'm currently grinding out, but I've also been playing a bit of Cytus 2 on the side. When I feel stuck in life, and that nothing I'm doing matters, it's nice to be able to say, "Well, at least I got a few more levels on my characters today."

I play puzzle games because there's gratification in seeing a problem and finding a solution, especially when they can be done in quick succession. It's very often not useful or productive for real life, but hey, I found a solution. I ended up playing through Picross S, and then wiping my progress, and then playing through it again (4 more times), and I'm just about done with Picross S2.

I (used to) play online multiplayer games with tight-knit communities and guilds because I love meeting people and having people to just chat with as I relax. They're not a substitute for real-life interaction, but talking with people, even online, can help quell the feeling of loneliness. Now that I'm away from them, I know I'll miss my Team Fortress 2 community server, my Guild Wars 2 guilds, and my Warframe clan.

A lot of escapism, but also getting to know different cultures yes 90% of videogame are made in the US but that's why i appreciate a Russian AAA game from time to time or a Japanese one. Also i have being playing a lot of Grand Strategy games lately cause i like what if alt history theories. "What if Country X became communist and started a war with country Y" Dumb mods like the Senior Trotsky mod and Senior Hilter mod bring a dumb smile on my face (these mods are what if scenarios for Hearts of Iron 4 a WWII "simulator") Where you could put Trotsky in power in Mexico and Hilter (yes Hilter not Hitler) in Argentina through a few dumb events as faking your own death and shaving that awful mustache, just weird dumb stuff.

Interacting within a story in a big draw to games for me. Secondly, game have problems/task they set in front of me that are solvable - unlike most of the real world. In a game if there is a problem, I'll solve it...check out the hook while my DJ revolves it [sorry, I couldn't help myself...Ice Ice baby]